I do wonder a dog’s metabolism and how a keto diet would work - with large amounts of fat. I know the metabolise things differently than humans. I did ask my “dogtor” about a raw diet and she said you miss so many of the vital nutrients they require in a raw diet…
I just want him to live a long happy life!!
Use only as much fat as comes with/on the natural food–meat.
No need for them to mainline olive oil, ha ha!
I had a vet friend also say this, but I bet they got those in the wild by eating the whole animal. Liver, kidneys, heart, etc…
Which is easy to replicate on the BARF diet… I just bought a tub of chicken livers and the left over cleanings from raw chickens and turkeys. Everything went into the grinder.
Here’s a nice article on T2D in cats.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.14618/full
They really got into the subject. Cause is about what you might expect… high carb diet, sloth, etc.
Basically, if its a dry kibble, its going to have a higher amount of carbs. https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/orijen-dog-food-usa/ Not bad at 23% for the Orijen Original.
The best as far as low carb goes that I’ve been able to find is 17%: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/evo-dog-food-dry/
Have fed a mixture of raw (morning) and dry kibble (Orjen / Arcana) to our pack of six dogs for years. Kept the kibble because the pet food companies did a really good job convincing me that raw meat is deficient in vital nutrients. Also added dehydrated “toppers,” again due to the fear of nutrient deficiency, but at a fraction of the ratio recommended by the manufacture - this was stopped because my boys stopped eating their food.
Despite our best intentions, two were diagnosed with cancer last year (liver tumor and sarcoma).
So, per Long Living Pets and Keto Pet sanctuary and have switched to a completely raw diet. Am trying to feed four a ratio of 80/20 and Joey and Max 70/30. Determing what constitutes 80/20 or 70/30 ratio is not easy unless you choose to just feed grocery store ground beef. Going through a lot of butter and olive oil (coconut oil isn’t well liked -especially by our two cancer boys). Just keeping an eye on their weight and energy level and adjusting to these external signs. Have not invested in a keto meter as I am not sure how the numbers would corrolate to canine health (Dr. Eric Westman is not a supporter of keto meters for this reason).
I guess my point, after all the rambling, is that expensive premium kibble may not be any better than average pet kibble in keeping our pets healthy. Time will tell if completely raw will be an improvement.
Very interesting!! Thanks for sharing. Can you share how you do raw diet? Is it like buying a package of chicken and just putting it in a bowl? any digestive issues in switching? My guy eats a spec of something off the ground and he has the runs for days. His stomach is touchy.
At the suggestion of my holistic vet, I have fed raw (ground with bones and organs) to my Shih Tzu since they were young pups. I purchase it in frozen logs from a farm which offers a very large variety of proteins. Fast forward nine years, and he says they are in much better shape than other dogs the same age. Even their treats are air-dried raw and once a day, they get it with a squirt of Alaskan Salmon Oil. Because they are small, I give them raw chicken wings as an occasional treat as well as fresh blueberries, broccoli, green beans, peppers, etc… Body weight and health are excellent.
My dogs life changed for the better when I went to a grain free seafood diet for her. No more constant gas or allergies. She also stopped eating weird things like my socks (no fun pulling them from her backside)! Her energy has changed tremendously!
It just doesn’t make sense to me to give my dog carbs. Dogs (and cats) didn’t evolve on kibble. I consider standard dog food, even the stuff my vet promotes, to be junk food. I’ve given my dog raw meat since he was 6 months old. He gets much more protein than I eat, for sure, so it’s not exactly ketogenic. For treats I give him freeze-dried organ meats and also a bit of coconut oil. If I forget his coconut oil at bed time, he gives me a pathetic look of wanting. Here’s my beautiful boy…
I believe I will try this with my next dog. It really doesn’t make sense to feed carnivorous animals carbs!
There is some decent info there.
For my cat I followed the info here: http://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/
Basics:
You find a suitable BARF Recipe for your cat or dog. Mine had bone-in chicken thighs, chicken offal, eggs, and some vitamin supplements. Run everything thru a grinder, I bought a standalone grinder. Portion the mixture into small tubs that fit in your freezer, I used 8ox deli containters. Freeze and pull out what you need to feed your dog or cat.
Cost wise, it was similar in cost than the special Vet prescription food my cat was prescribed, but we stopped using when we found the BARF diet eliminated all of our cats issue with regular cat food.
thank you!! Very helpful. I’m going to look into this for my dog. He’s about 6 now and starting to show some signs of slowing down.
I have a friend that has done that from day one of getting his puppy. Three years later and the dog looks healthy as can be, no medical issues, and has plenty of energy.
We feed our goldendoodle raw chicken thighs. He usually eats 3/day, in the evening. He’s not hungry most mornings, but if he is we give him whatever he asks for. That’s mostly his diet, however if there are meat scraps from our dinners, we share those occasionally.
